The Week[end]: July 20-22, 2012

It's the heart of summer, and Madison continues its season of outdoor festivities with Maxwell Street Days, the Dane County Fair, and Paddle & Portage. The calendar also includes: Wonder Weekend at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center; a Mad Rollin' Dolls bout; a production of The Pirates of Penzance; a performance by Jared Stellmacher and the Gargoyle Brass, and Opera in the Park; Live on King Street with Cloud Cult, the Gold Velour Records Launch Party, the Mid-Summer Meltdown concert, and the Rock 'n Roar Dance; and, more live music from These United States, Painted Saints, Leverage Models, Maps & Atlases, Langhorne Slim & the Law, and Red Stinger.

The celebration of the county's bounty with carnival rides, critters and deep-fried everything. Main stage entertainment starts at 7 each night and includes country newcomer Dustin Lynch (Thursday), rockers Aranda (Friday) and local country favorites Madison County (Saturday).

End the week on a festive note with this free, new, all-ages concert series, which takes place outside the Majestic Theatre and the Isthmus office. The tuneful enviros of Cloud Cult and the dark, mysterious popsters of MS MR provide the soundtrack as revelers enjoy frosty beers and a dramatic sunset (see Music). At 10 pm, head into the Majestic for a 1980s-themed dance party, featuring hits by Talking Heads, the Cure and Joy Division.

Madison Savoyards, the well-established band of Gilbert and Sullivan fiends, stage what is perhaps the pair's most famous operetta, about a band of lusty, musical pirates and the young man trying to escape them. Spoiler alert: Everything works out in the end.

Get to know Sam Spence, Mic Kellogg, Mr. Horror and other artists from a new, local label dedicated to hip-hop and electronic dance music. A highlight: Mad Major Melvin unveils a new, self-titled album. With DJ Vinnie Toma.

These veterans of South by Southwest, Lollapalooza and the CMJ Music Marathon share songs from their brand-new, self-titled album of freak folk, country-inspired twang and psychedelic garage-rock. With Will Phelan.

Led by Paul Fonfara, a clarinet virtuoso and former member of Devotchka, this folk-meets-blues band paints luscious soundscapes with guitars, orchestral strings, a Colombian accordion and an assortment of whistles. The result? A sound they've dubbed a "spaghetti western-heroin-klezmer-chamber country-sad-bastard thing." With Stephanie Rearick Jr. and Stuart Davis.

If you can paddle a canoe or a kayak real fast, and also run real fast while carrying a canoe or a kayak, you're a contender for this race, which this year is presented by Isthmus. It starts in Lake Mendota, proceeds on foot across the isthmus to Lake Monona, then winds up in Olin Park for a free 11 am post-race celebration (open to all) that features food and music by Harmonious Wail.

Stellmacher, music director and organist at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Hinsdale, Ill., plays Overture's mighty instrument in this morning concert. He's joined by the Gargoyle Brass, named for a signature architectural feature at the University of Chicago.

Madison Opera, the Madison Symphony Orchestra and guest artists team up for this annual free concert, held in the fresh air of the spacious west-side park. The program includes opera and Broadway favorites, plus highlights from Madison Opera's upcoming season.

Visiting the zoo, did you ever wonder what it's like after dark? We always imagined a sort of animal Algonquin Roundtable, but the watchword tonight is dancing and fun at this Vilas Zoo fundraiser. The classic rock is by Fuzzy Side Up.

After a 4 pm in-store performance at Strictly Discs, Slim douses the High Noon stage with his ultra-modern cocktail of folk, country, blues and garage rock. This show revolves around The Way We Move, his chipper new breakup album. With Nineteen Thirteen.

These charismatic Denver punks clothe political rants and moments of self-loathing in goofy stage antics, metal-esque guitar riffs and humor that's as clever as it is crass. With the 4 A.M., I Am Dragon and the Frenetic.